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Yaesu FT-891 and ATAS-120A in a Hybrid!

Made a couple of new videos today while traveling in Louisiana. I was just east of Shreveport when I recorded these. The guys on 7.235 are in Texas. Ron is in Lufkin, and Jack is in Allen. Not sure where the guys were at on 7.218. Not very good videos, but I was hoping to show that the receive is pretty darned good even while driving down the road in the RFI-mobile (Toyota Camry Hybrid).

73,
Brett

 
Great videos. (But did get a little car sick watching them. o_O Hope you had your eye on the road.) That radio's doing you a bang up job! (y)
 
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Great videos. (But did get a little car sick watching them. o_O Hope you had your eye on the road.) That radio's doing you a bang up job! (y)
Yeah, I had my arm resting on the console, and can turn the camera on with a button on the side, so I just aimed it in the general direction and shot. Definitely had my eyes on the road! Pretty bad undulating road on the 7.218 vid, but if I made it smooth via the YouTube app, it made it look really out of focus. And for some reason, the camera shows lines on the 819's screen, which there aren't any. I may try to do another video if I can get a holder of some type, but conditions were pretty great for short comms today. I talked to Charlie, K5WOW in Marble Falls for a good 10 minutes or so, and later talked to Ron, WW5US who is in Lufkin for about the same. Both had a great copy on me.

I think I had the NB setting too high on the 7.235 QSO, because it made Ron sound a little choppy. Much smoother with it off in the other video. Just trying to let people know that you CAN do HF SSB in a hybrid car.

73,
Brett
 
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Yeah,I noticed that you locked the VFO in the second vid.

they can be touchy while moving
I keep the VFO fairly tight, but yes, it's pretty easy to move. Keeping it locked helps a lot.

Most importantly, the RFI isn't so bad that you can't hear signals. At highway speeds, there isn't any major noise generated. If you slow down, say by turning off the cruise control, or hitting the brakes, there is a lot of noise generated. I drive mostly on interstate highways, so the noise is fairly minimal. I wouldn't recommend putting an HF rig in a hybrid vehicle if the only type of travel you do is in the city, or where you have to brake a lot.

73,
Brett
 
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Does the Camry hybrid have "regenerative braking"
Yes, I believe that is what it's called. It charges the system when you are slowing down, I think.

This is my company car. A hybrid is not something I would personally choose, but they pay for the gas, and they provide the car, so there ya go! Trying to make the best of my situation, and since I drive so much for work, passing the time on the radio is a great way to do it.

73,
Brett
 
I will try to make a recording of the RFI that I hear when I brake or decelerate in the Camry. It really makes some strange noises, and usually at about 5-9 S units on the meter. Sometimes does it on hard acceleration, too... I think because it uses the electric motor from a stop.

Had a good QSO yesterday on 40 meters with a fella at a club station in Lawton, Oklahoma while I was down in Lafayette, LA. For a very inefficient antenna, the ATAS-120A does a pretty decent job of keeping me entertained.

73,
Brett
 
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